Battle of Bagram

The Battle of Bagram was fought on 14 November 2001 during the Afghanistan War, when hundreds of Northern Alliance fighters and a contingent of US Navy SEALs secured the Bagram Airbase from the Taliban after heavy fighting.

History
Bagram Airfield was of critical importance to the US invasion forces; at the start of the Invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban were positioned two miles away with three tanks and roughly 5,000 troops. The Americans established FOB Rhino at an airstrip near Kandahar, but they needed a larger airstrip in order to set up a main base for a headquarters and for further operations.

The Northern Alliance forces assaulted the airbase with assistance from US Navy SEALs, and the Americans used close air support to soften the Taliban resistance. The Taliban put up stiff resistance in an airplane boneyard, in the hangars, at the gates, and in the control tower, and the Americans and their Northern Alliance allies slowly pushed through the airbase. After securing the control tower, the Americans were able to call in airstrikes against Taliban tanks and armored vehicles as they attempted to counterattack against the Northern Alliance forces and crater the airstrip. Eventually, the Taliban counterattack was successfully defeated with the help of US smart bombs and aircraft, and the airstrip was captured intact. After months of setup, Bagram Airfield became the United States' main base in the country as of March 2002, and it was converted into a US headquarters from which the Americans could focus on destroying the Taliban in the Shahikot Valley.